this chair to working or soon you wouldn't have had any
father!"

The swinging seat had now reached the yacht. Two men lashed into it a
stout, squarely built figure. The lantern signaled that all was ready
and the shoreward journey began. Percy was shaking so violently that he
could hardly pull. The mate reassured him.

"Don't be frightened, young fellow! We'll land him all right!"

He added his strength to that of the others, and John P. Whittington
came in faster. He reached the ledge, only twenty-five feet from shore.
Then came disaster!

Something gave way on the yacht, and the hawser suddenly slackened,
letting the boatswain's chair drag on the ledge. The end of a swinging
rope caught in a crack. The millionaire stopped short!

"Harder!" shouted the mate, setting the example.

The boys surged on the rope, but to no avail; they could not budge the
chair. Percy stood motionless with horror.

Up curled a huge wave, high over the struggling figure. A thundering
deluge hid him from view. It looked bad for John P. Whittington. Two or
three seas more and it would matter little to him whether he was pulled
in or not.

Guttering and rumbling, the water flowed back. Down over the ledges
after it leaped a slim, wiry figure. It was Percy Whittington!

He had thrown off his oil-clothes to give his limbs greater freedom. His
head was bare and his light hair stood straight up from his forehead.
Grasping the hawser, he plunged into the sea and dragged himself toward
the rock to which his father was fastened.

The group on the point stood silent, watching him struggle yard by yard
through the black water until he gained the ridge. On it lay the figure
in the boatswain's chair, struggling feebly. Percy planted his feet on
the slippery rock. But before he could reach his father another liquid
avalanche buried them both.

It seemed to the anxious watchers as if it would never run back. When it
did, the older man sagged from the chair, motionless; the lad still
clung to the hawser. The future of the house of Whittington hung
trembling in the balance.

The mate gave a groan.

"He can't do it!"

At that very instant Percy roused to activity. Even before the ledge was
entirely clear he was leaning over his father, knife in hand. It was
useless to attempt to extricate the rope-end from the crack in which it
was caught; the only thing to do was to cut it. Percy stooped quickly.
Already the next sea was curling over his hea